Kazakh athletes are gearing up to face off against top talent from across the region at the 9th Asian Winter Games to be held in northeast China's Harbin City from February 7 to 14, which promises to be a thrilling competition.
Kazakhstan will be represented by a strong contingent of 137 athletes, who will compete in six major events and 10 disciplines, including speed skating, figure skating, biathlon, curling, cross-country skiing, and ice hockey, with the goal of claiming a total of 51 medals.
Despite facing strong competition, Oleg Bolyakin, head coach of Kazakhstan's national hockey team, is confident that his team's experience and tactical training will help them achieve their goal of winning gold medals at the Asian Winter Games.
"The atmosphere within the team is fantastic. I've spoken with the players, as we are like a big family, that we will fight for our country and our fans, and therefore we must aim for the highest goals," said Bolyakin.
The Kazakh speed skating team is also gearing up for the Asian Winter Games, with 10 male and 10 female athletes set to compete in the events, and head coach Alexander Panfilov emphasizing that they will aim for the top podium spot.
"We are currently conducting our final training in Astana and will fly to Harbin on Feb 3 evening. The athletes are training individually, and we hope to achieve good results in this event. We look forward to making historic achievements," he said.
Kazakh athletes gear up for upcoming Asian Winter Games
Kazakh athletes gear up for upcoming Asian Winter Games
China's two major power grid operators -- the State Grid Corporation of China (State Grid) and China Southern Power Grid (CSG) -- reported a surge in investment in the first quarter of 2026, underscoring efforts to strengthen infrastructure construction and support high-quality socioeconomic development in China.
The State Grid said it completed fixed-asset investment worth 129 billion yuan (about 18.77 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months of this year, up 37 percent the corresponding period of the previous year. The spending has driven more than 250 billion yuan (36 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across the wider industrial chain.
Key projects such as the Panxi ultra-high-voltage (UHV) alternating current (AC) line and the Anhui-Hubei back-to-back direct current (DC) project have seen ground broken for their construction, while several west-to-east power transmission projects have been upgraded.
Investment in connecting renewable energy generation to the grid was reported to have exceeded 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) from January to March, a year-on-year rise of more than 50 percent.
The CSG also reported robust growth in investment in the three-month period, with fixed-asset investment reaching 38.45 billion yuan (5.58 billion U.S. dollars), up about 50 percent from a year earlier.
Among its achievements, the company completed and commissioned 80 key projects, including the 220 kV cross-sea power grid interconnection project, which was officially put into operation on March 20. The project ended years of grid isolation on the Weizhou Island in south China by linking it to the main power system of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The construction of 17 other major energy projects, including one linking the power grid of the Xizang Autonomous Region in southwest China with that of Guangdong Province in south China, is advancing rapidly. These projects are expected to bolster regional industries, the maritime economy, digital collaboration and the transition to green energy.
"By accelerating major project construction, investment during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030) is expected to approach 1 trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars), driving a further 2 trillion yuan (290 billion U.S. dollars) of investment across upstream and downstream industries," said Dong Yanle, deputy general manager of the Engineering Construction Department under the China Southern Power Grid.
China ramps up power grid investment in January-March to boost growth
